Latch for dipper doors



Jann 30 1934 T. A. RATKowsKl LATCH FOR DIFFER DooRs Filed July '18, 1951 ...lll I Il.. n n".

l I 1 I l 1 l l l I Patented Jan. l30, 1934 UNITED STATES 1,944,949 LATCH Foa DIPPER Doons Thomas A. Ratkowski,

Chicago Heights, lll.,

assgnor to American Manganese Steel Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Maine Application July 1s, 1931. seriaiNo. 551,677

ks claims. (01292-141) This invention relates to improvementsin the latch by which the door of an excavating dipper Vmay be releasably locked during transfer of the dipper from filling position to discharging posi- 5 tion, and particularly a latch of the kind in which a locking bolt is mounted for longitudinal projection and retraction in a guide or housing.

Heretofore, latches of l this kind have involved the use of housings for the latch bolts having their guiding confines largely or` wholly cast integral with the door'or other member of the dipper by which they are carried, which, because of their large and cumbersome proportions, were very inconvenient and expensive to finish, especially when the casting is made of a material (forexample, manganese steel) which involves the `use of the grinder for finishing it.

The present invention proceeds upon the .principle of forming all or the greater proportion of those parts of the housing of the latch which provide the guiding confines for the bolt, separately and apart from `the member of the dipper upon which it is to be carried, and mounting-said housingv upon the clipper member preferably through the medium of integral attaching ears best embodimentof the invention now known to me but not necessarily in all embodiments thereof, likewise involving the features of having all of its walls or confines integral, and with the opening through which the latch bolt may be inserted located on that side of the housing which is presented to the dipper member, so that it will be closed by the' dipper member when the housing is in place; also having the housing divided into two units spaced apart for the dual "purpose of positioning and directing the bolt through its two ends without unduly enlarging the longitudinal dimension of the housing and leaving an intermediate portion of the bolt exposed for the reception of its control lever; also having the means for mounting the unit or units of the housing consist of lugs formed on the dipper member and embraced by and bolted to ears or projections carried by the housing unit; and, finally, utilizing the separately formed housing, or one unit thereof, as the means for mounting the adjustable fulcrum of the bolt controlling lever as well as its adjustable stop which limits the protrusion of the bolt.

In the accompanying drawing, in which the preferred embodiment of the invention is shown by way of illustration- Figure 1 is an elevational view of a dipper door 55` carrying a latch in which the several features of the `present invention are embodied; Figure 2 is a top plan'lview of the latch `shown in Figure 1 ltaken from the line 2m-2x of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a longitudinal section on the line 3cr-3x of Figure 1; and Figures 4 and 5 are transverse sections on the lines ix-41: and 5ft- 5.1: of Figure 1.

A represents a dipper door, B a latching bolt therefor, C a controlling lever, D the point of attachment between the controlling lever and the bolt, and E the fulcrum of the controlling lever, which parts, except for their existence in the organization of features which make up the presentinvention, are well known in their purpose andl function.

Bolt B, according to the present invention, is guided at its upper end in the housing 1, consisting of two lateral confines 1a and a top confine 1b, and having an openv side 1c through which the boitB may be laid into position while the housing l is detached, but which is closed by the application of the housing to the door A or other dipper member; said member being preferably formed with a filling and positioning boss A'.k Preferably, the housing 1 has al dimension in the direction of the length of the'bolt which corresponds to but or the like; a separately formed housing, in thewffa small portion of said length, andhsecure guidance of the bolt is assured by using a second housing 2 which likewise covers but a small portion of thelength of the bolt but is located near the lower end of the bolt or the end remote from that embraced by the housing 1.

' Housing 2, similarly to housing 1, consists of two side walls 2a and a coverwall 2b which are formed integral, while the portion of the housing which is presented to the door A is open to admit the latch bar and to receive the closing boss A2 on the door A. Bosses A' and A2, in addition to closing the open sides of the housings 1 and 2, position said housings against lateral displacement. Boss A2. serves the further function of providing a seat for one or more anti-friction rollers 3 which provide bearing for the bolt B in opposition to forces imposed against the door in the direction of opening. At the upper end of the bolt-anti-friction bearing is afforded by rollers 4 which, however, are seated in the cover wall 1b of the housing 1. n

'I'he described arrangement of independent housings, receiving the. respective ends oi.' the bolt B and spaced apart as shown, leaves an intermediate portion of the bolt B exposed for the reception of the controlling lever C which may be pivotally connected, with tolerance, to said bolt as shown at D. While one end of said lever is pivoted at E, the other end F is left free and designed tor the reception, at F, of a exible control connection.

Housing 2, in addition to the functions already ascribed to it, is utilized to carry the fulcrum E of lever C as well as the adjustable stop G for said lever that determines the protrusion of the lower end of the bolt. To these ends, housing 2 is provided with extensions 2c, 2d that receive the threaded Shanks E', G of the fulcrum E and the stop G.

To mount the housings l and 2 upon the member of the dipper which carries them, the said member is provided with integral lugs 5, 5 and 6, 6, while the said housings are constructed with'bifurcated yokes 7 and 8 through means of which they embrace the lugs 5 and 6 and are secured to said lugs by bolts 9 and l0. The filling and positioning bosses A' and A2, as well as the integral anchoring lugs 5 and 6, constitute parts which present their surfaces in position for convenient dressing or finishing by grinding, and thereby facilitate proper mounting of the housings 1 and 2 with their bolt-receiving recesses in proper alignment to permit free functioning of the bolt. Moreover, the separately formed housings constitute individually replaceable parts which facilitate maintenance of the latching mechanism in operating position, with minimum sacrice of working parts. t

What is claimed is:

1. In an excavating dipper having a door and a latch for said door, said latch comprising a bolt and a housing for said bolt; said dipper door vbeing constructed with anchoring lugs; and said housing being constructed with bifurcated yokes embracing and secured to said anchoring lugs.

2. In an excavating dipper having a door and a latch for said door, said latch comprising a bolt and a housing for said bolt; said dipper door being constructed with anchoring lugs; said housing being constructed with bifurcated yokes embracing and secured to said anchoring lugs; the side of said housing presented to the dipper door being open: and the dipper door being provided with a filling and positioning boss received in the open side of said housing.

3. In an excavating dipper having a door an a latch for said door; saidlatch comprising a bolt and a housing for said bolt constructed with an open side that is presented to the dipper door; and said dipper door having a filling and positioning boss entering said open side, which said boss is constructed with a seat adapted to receive an anti-friction roll and present said roll in the position of a bearing for said bolt.

4. In a latch for a dipper door, a bolt housing constructed separately and apart from the dipper door and adapted to be replaceably applied to said dipper door; said housing having bifurcated yokes adapted to receive and to be connected with a portion of the dipper door; one

to said dipper door; said housing having bifurcated yokes adapted to receive and to be connected with a portion of the dipper door; one of said yokes having an extension providing a ful crum mounting for a bolt lever; and the other of said yokes having a mounting for a limiting stop in position to engage said lever.

6. In a latch for an excavating implement, said latch comprising a bolt and housings constructed to receive and guide said bolt at different points in its length, said housings being constructed separately and apart from the implement and mounted upon the implement with a space between them in which the bolt is exposed, and a bolt-control located in the space between said housings; one of said housings carrying a fulcrum support for said bolt-control, said lastmentioned housing also carrying a stop for the bolt-control.

.7. In a latch mechanism for a dipper door, a housing member adapted to be removably secured to said dipper door, a latching bolt guided for reciprocable movement by saidhousing member, said housing member forming confining and guiding walls for the sides and top of said latching bolt and having an open side facing the dipper door through which said `latching bolt may be assembled with said housing, a lever member for controlling the movement of said latching bolt, a fulcrum support for said lever member adjustably supported by said housing and a stop member adjustably supported by said housing member adapted to engage andk limit the movement of said lever member. .y

8. In latching mechanism fora dipper door, a housing member having oppositely extending yoke-shaped projections adapted to receive the ear portions formed on said dipper door, fastening bolts extending through said yoke-shaped projections and adapted to removably attach said housing member to said dipper door by extending through said ear portions, a latching bolt guided for reciprocable movement by said housing, said housing member forming conning and guiding walls for the sides and top of saidlatching bolt and having an open side towards said dipper door through which said bolt may be assembled with respect to said housing member, a lever controlling `the movement of said latching bolt and intermediately secured thereto, a fulcrum support at one end of said lever adjustably supported by one of said yoke-shaped projections and a stop member for said leveradjustably supported by the other of said yoke-shaped projections.

THOMAS A. RATKOWSKI. 

